Not Offended

Would we be offended if Jesus critiqued some of our church traditions as being vain? Let’s examine Matthew 15.

Vain Traditions

Was Jesus criticized over a man-made tradition?

Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” (Matthew 15:1-2 NASB)

Do we have any church traditions that break the command of God?

Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’ But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ (Matthew 15:3-9 NIV)

Offended

Some are offended by Jesus. Some are not. Let’s discover why the Pharisees were offended and a woman was not offended by Jesus, in Matthew 15:10-28.

When He had called the multitude to Himself, He said to them, “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” Then His disciples came and said to Him, “Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying?” (Matthew 15:10-12 NKJV)

Religious leaders constantly criticized Jesus, but were offended by Him? Are we offended by Jesus’ reprimands? Do we prefer pastors who will, “Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits”? (Isaiah 30:10 NKJV) Will those who teach vain traditions be uprooted?

Jesus replied, “Every plant not planted by my heavenly Father will be uprooted, so ignore them. They are blind guides leading the blind, and if one blind person guides another, they will both fall into a ditch.” (Matthew 15:13-14 NLT)

The Pharisees’ hand washing ritual was a rule added to sanitary laws. Was Jesus against sanitary laws or did He emphasize the heart?

Peter answered him, “Explain the parable to us.” So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand? Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the belly and then out of the body? But the things which proceed out of the mouth come out of the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies. These are the things which defile the man; but to eat with unwashed hands doesn’t defile the man.” (Matthew 15:15-20 WEB)

A King James weakness is watering down language that offends. Love may require blunt, offensive speech.

Jesus was without sin, so if He offends us, who do we need to examine? Tact is often a polite description of a lie? In some situations commands must be given clearly, sharply and followed quickly. When someone is about to drive over a cliff, is a polite suggestion or a loud shout better?

Not Offended

Let’s learn from the attitude of a Gentile woman who was not offended by Jesus.

Why did Jesus ignore her at first? Was He testing her faith? Do we sometimes cry out in prayer and God does not answer? Does waiting make God’s ultimate answer even more treasured?

From there, Jesus went to the regions of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman from those territories came out and shouted, “Show me mercy, Son of David. My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.” But he didn’t respond to her at all. His disciples came and urged him, “Send her away; she keeps shouting out after us.” Jesus replied, “I’ve been sent only to the lost sheep, the people of Israel.” (Matthew 15:21-24 CEB)

Israelites called them “dogs” because they practiced ritual prostitution even of young girls, and sacrificed little children to their idols. Did the woman beg the saintly Apostles to intercede or speak directly to Jesus? Was she offended like the Pharisees? What did Jesus praise her for?

But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.” Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. (Matthew 15:25-28 ESV)

The Pharisees came from a culture that valued scripture. She came from a wicked culture. Yet she had faith in Jesus. The Pharisees did not. Do we have such faith? You decide!